7 life lessons I've learned from being a contract employee

Being a contract employee represents a temporary job assignment..it’s short-term with a clear end date attached

So for the past 18 months I’ve been a contract employee for 2 different companies. I don’t have vacation days or sick days so when I’m not at work, I’m not getting paid. I used to put so much value on my job title, like where I worked and what I did from 9am-5pm defined me. But that’s how most networking and casual conversations go right. The first question is, “ What do you do”?

Its like I’m a nurse, I’m an officer, I’m an educator, I’m a lawyer and that’s it. That’s who I am.

As for me, I was a contractor hoping this opportunity would lead to something greater.

I felt really disappointed when my first contract role did not turn into a full-time position. I know what you’re  thinking..why not just get a regular full-time job? Well I wish it were that easy.. I did interview for two full- time roles and both companies went on a hiring freeze before they could choose a candidate. How ironic is that?

I used to get really down about not being a full-time employee at a company, not to mention that contractors are often treated like red- headed step children. I had this overwhelming desire to belong and be included. You are constantly being reminded of the things you cannot do because you don’t have the privilege of sharing the same perks as full-time employees. And that was hard because I knew that I was worthy of the same benefits.

But I decided to stop the cycle of feeling sorry for myself. To be completely honest, the cycle went on for way too long before I decided to put my foot down and turn over a new leaf. The truth is, I was exactly where God wanted me to be. In a place of being completely dependent upon him. I had to do quite a bit of soul searching to see the beauty in my situation, to take time to understand the blessings that stood before me in that season.

Being a contractor forced me to pay more attention to my life outside of work. I was celebrating one year of marriage. My marriage was healthy and I was loving being apart of this new support system. I valued my family time on a different level than before. I no longer had to work on the weekends so my Sundays were full of family, laughter and good food and I wouldn’t change that for the world. All of a sudden, the best part of my life was my life outside of work.

Being a contractor brought me back to the things I truly enjoyed. I would have never thought about starting a blog, sharing my journey, or fully embracing my world outside of work. My life outside of work shaped a bigger part of who I was.

Who was I? I was a wife, an aunt, a daughter, a sister and a creative. I loved writing, group fitness, giving back, broad way plays, cooking, and traveling. I work hard and I’m destined for greatness .

I am no longer looking for a job to fulfill me I am looking to create my own opportunities ..I have learned to:

1.       Identify your passions unrelated to work

2.       Understand that your 9 to 5 doesn’t define you or anyone else for that matter

3.       Have faith in the future and that everything will work out

4.       Know that you can climb and excel without a manager or director giving you permission to do so

5.       Be present and ask God to reveal to you what he wants you learn in this season

6.      If you take care of step #5 you won’t pay attention to other people and how they may view your

situation. If they see your situation as negative and constantly remind you of their view of where you

are and how you need to handle it. Tell them God is handing it.

7.       See the blessings in the right now; the blessings aren’t just on the way.. there are blessings right in

front of you…

Photography: Eric Smith-@smith.cr2